The Inspection. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The inspection took place on the bungalow yesterday. I apologize for the lack of photos. I took a bunch but the cord I use to download the photos from my camera is in my storage space. Gah!

See the sink and dishwasher? They have been replaced with gaping holes.

First the bad news with a potential silver lining. The previous homeowner didn't run off with the kitchen sink after all. There are signs of a break-in. The back door was kicked in and the frame damaged. Taken were the porch swing, kitchen sink, dishwasher, stove, microwave, light fixtures, faucets, smoke detectors, shower heads, etc. It looks like they tried to take the air conditioning unit because it was disconnected and they may have tried to take the claw foot tub because the connecting pipe is leaking. If this were a regular sale, those items would have to be replaced because most are mentioned in the contract. But because this is a short sale, the bank may come back and say "too bad." I hope that it was insured and a police report filed so that the bank got reimbursed for the loss. They may be more willing to give me that money or at least a discount.  The appliances and kitchen sink were basic and generic, but some of the light fixtures were original and the faucets new and nice. Please, please let the bank give me a discount or cash for replacement. I'm already thinking about an antique farmhouse sink, O'Keefe and Merritt stove, Smeg fridge, etc. Of course those are going to be more expensive than the replacement value. (*sigh*) Maybe down the road sometime.

Delusions of grandeur courtesy O'Keefe and Merritt.

The other news is that it needs work...but I knew that. It's an old house..but I love old houses. I wanted an old house I could show some love and slowly bring back to glory. Good news is that overall it's not in bad shape. The foundation, the pipes, etc. are doing the job they were meant to do BUT they are not up to current standards. The pier and beam foundation is cedar beams to the ground. In fact some of them were trees growing on site. They were cut to the right height and the house built on top.  That was fairly common back then according to the inspector. There should be concrete supports below the wooden beams. There aren't.  They have stood up well for 80 years but at some point they should be brought up to code. The inspector suggested I have a structural engineer out to quote it, just so I'm aware.

The sewer pipes are cast iron. They aren't leaking but at some point should be replaced. 80% of the other pipes are still the old galvanized. Again, they aren't leaking but should be replaced with copper or plastic at some point. Again, the inspector said I should have a plumber who does hydrostatic testing out to quote the job.

There is a leak in the roof or flashing under the eave next to the chimney. Luckily it's on the outside if the house, not the inside. This is a <$500 fix per the inspector.

The master bedroom suite was an unpermitted addition. Most of it is up to code except the electrical and the foundation. When adding the new beams for the addition, again they did wood to the ground. I can have an electrician out to bring the electical up to code without pulling a permit. But if I ever want to have other work done on it, a permit would need to be pulled. That means that I would have to bring it all up to code, which means the foundation would need to be redone at that time. That will probably be expensive.

There are a lot of other small things you'd expect from any house. The hot water heater is missing the flood stop valve ($150), it's missing insulation in a few places, there are a couple small places where there is wood rot on the porch railing, etc., but nothing overwhelming. Great news is there are absolutely no signs of past or present termite infestation!

So next steps are to get the structural engineer, plumber and electrician out to quote current and future repairs, and to find out what the bank is going to do about the appliance theft. Then I'll make the decision whether to back out or to push forward.

Now onto the ugly--I know I want to paint the interior, resurface the ceiling in the living room and the walls in the bathroom, and refinish the floors before moving in. I'll need to get quotes for that too so I have a realistic idea of what I'll be out of pocket if I decide to "keep calm and carry on."

So there is potential bad news. I won't know until the quotes come in. A few thousand of immediate repairs and ten thousand down the road is acceptable. Ten thousand of current and fifty thousand down the road is not.  Stay tuned.